MISSION: The SAA Foundation fosters the archival community by providing research grants, scholarships, and recognizing excellence to enhance their work and welfare, while emphasizing the fundamental role of archives in sustaining democracy, supporting communities, and preserving culture.
VISION: Steward human and technological resources to promote a nimble, responsive, and engaged culture of philanthropy
CORE VALUES: The Society of American Archivists Foundation is committed to supporting the archival community through:
- Respect: to ensure practitioners are valued for their work in stewarding and protecting vital cultural assets.
- Forward-thinking: to ensure current and future needs in professional development and practice are met in an ever-evolving world.
- Diversity, equity, inclusion, and access: to ensure archival collections, practitioners, and users represent the whole of human experience and perspectives.
- Collaboration: to ensure professional practice is developed across the profession and related disciplines.
GOAL 1: Share financial resources to benefit archival practitioners and the collections for which they care
- Strengthening collaboration with the SAA CORDA committee and
aligning research funding priorities
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Designate grant funds for capacity-building in community
archives.
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Support cooperative projects that enhance shared access to
archival materials
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Expand the NDRFA emergency relief fund (scope, fund)[FY26];
Grow a strong corpus for the NDRFA to ensure long-term sustainability of the
fund in the face of increasing natural/climate disasters threatening archives.
[FY27]
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Build a landing page to compile grants, social media, and
promote collaboration between the development and grant review committees
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Dedicate research grant funds to projects that forward
initiatives in the SAA Work Plan on DEIA.
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Apply for grant(s) to expand support for community archives
projects.
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Open dialogue with preeminent grant makers to seek out
collaborative projects.
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Targeted call for grant proposals focused on climate change
and/or resiliency.
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Foster partnerships to expand and broaden reach to
archivists beyond SAA members/current audience.
GOAL 2: Expand financial resources to ensure their sustainability, diversify partnerships, and fully fund our programs
- Review the grants landscape and identify 1 funding opportunity
that could advance the work of SAA.
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Establish a concrete donor‑growth target and charge each
board member with identifying up to two potential donors to support reaching
it.
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Develop a donor recognition and retention
strategy
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Promote legacy and planned giving
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Build recurring fundraising events around specific funds
Catalyst Fund & Mosaic Scholarship Fund, (NDRFA) National Disaster Relief
Fund for Archives
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Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns (Catalyst Fund &
Mosaic Scholarship Fund)
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Secure long-term funding through sponsorship and
affiliation
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Create an integrated stewardship system that includes a
donor matrix to guide communication and engagement levels, along with
sustainable pre‑ and post‑donor stewardship practices that
cultivate lifelong relationships.
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Expand financial resources, via external grants that
support the priorities of the Foundation to expand the grant program (Mellon
Foundation, etc.)
GOAL 3: Steward human and technological resources to promote a nimble, responsive, and engaged culture of philanthropy
- Develop matching gift & crowdfunding support: provide
matching funds for community-driven fundraising efforts.
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Create frictionless opportunities to receive
donations.
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Develop targeted appeal based on professional demographics
(first-time donation, anniversary, etc.).
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Enhanced orientation for the Board of Directors.
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Stewardship Training for the Board of Directors (making the
ask).
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Research ways to expand planned and other giving programs
(donor-advised funds)
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Develop and implement verification systems and supporting
infrastructure to ensure compliance with state and federal fundraising
regulations.
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Explore and develop a corporate giving program.
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Steward human and technological resources to systematically
review the grants landscape and surface strategic funding opportunities that
advance the SAA Foundation’s philanthropic work.
Adopted by the SAA Foundation Board, June 2022. Revised May 2025
